The room was full of talk.
And off to one side, the Elf Sovereigns were all following this campaign too.
"Who'd have thought the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire could really trade blow for blow with the Devourer Civilization," the Bluewater Elf Queen sighed.
"Part of it is the Devourer Civilization's wariness of us. Mind you, they have twenty million interstellar warships that haven't moved all along; those are plainly ready for us," the Nightglow Elf King said calmly.
"But however you look at it, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has fought very well so far," the Emerald Elf King said seriously.
"If the Owl Dragon Emperor truly can deal the Devourer Civilization a great setback in this campaign, and wreck some of the Devourer Civilization's strategic star systems, it would keep the Devourer Civilization quieter for the next few decades, and give us time to rest and recover too," the Radiant Elf King said with feeling.
Just then a voice came.
"Time for you to rest and recover, or time to cling on to life?" The Flame Elf Queen leaned against the doorway some way off and said mockingly.
Everyone in fact could feel the Flame Elf Queen's displeasure.
It had been like this these last few days; even meeting the Bluewater Elf Queen or the Emerald Elf King,
the Flame Elf Queen would snap a few words at them.
So everyone would keep out of the Flame Elf Queen's way at such times, so as not to set off this live volcano.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem. Salaman, I know you resent our not sending troops to support the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. But this is how we see the matter from the Holy Elf Empire's own standpoint." The Radiant Elf King, as an elder, stepped forward helplessly to say it.
The Flame Elf Queen said coldly, "Then let me ask you all. If the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire next wins a great advantage in this campaign, what do you mean to do? Send troops or not, to wipe out the Devourer Civilization in one stroke?"
At the Flame Elf Queen's demand,
the Elf Sovereigns present all fell silent.
"Heh, heh, heh; you don't even dare answer me? Then let me ask one more. If the Owl Dragon legion fleets run into danger, will you be willing to come to their support and help them?" The Flame Elf Queen threw out another question.
Again, this time no one answered.
In the end it was the Radiant Elf King who stepped forward and said, "If the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's home universe comes under threat, we'll naturally help as allies."
"Fine words: allies." The Flame Elf Queen's icy gaze swept over the Elf Sovereigns present.
Then she simply turned and left.
The Elf Sovereigns she left behind looked at one another, all with helpless looks.
The Flame Elf Queen, once she had left,
had a deep, complicated look in her eyes, as though something were hidden in them, or as though a volcano might erupt at any moment!
……
The Three Sovereigns' Conference
"See? This is the Owl Dragon interstellar legions' real strategic aim! They mean to destroy these three important strategic star systems of ours, not those three star systems before. Their attack on those three star systems was a feint, meant to make us think their target was those three star systems! Right now we have two million interstellar warships holding each of these three star systems. But on the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets' side, there are seven legion fleets on each of these three battlefields, three hundred fifty thousand interstellar warships! And their attacks are far fiercer than on the other interstellar battlefields. Don't think that because the ratio between the two sides' interstellar warships isn't very great, it's nothing; it may be the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire deliberately showing us weakness. If we really don't support these three star systems, even with this gap in forces, these three star systems of ours might be badly damaged!" The Troll Monarch slammed the table, complaining somewhat.
For of the three important star systems now under attack, one had to do with his territory.
"But who knows whether this isn't another feint of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's?" the Drought-Fiend Sovereign put in coolly beside him.
To the Drought-Fiend Sovereign, who had crossed him all along,
the Troll Monarch pointed at the interstellar war holo-table before them and said, "By the information we had before, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's interstellar warships in service number around six million and some. At most no more than six million three hundred thousand. But now, on the battlefields of our universe, in these thirty star systems, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has already sent nearly five and a half million interstellar warships. At this point, the interstellar legion fleets the Owl Dragon Emperor has left to send surely don't exceed eight hundred thousand interstellar warships, or even fewer! Even if the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has some other plan, and means to pour all these eight hundred thousand interstellar warships onto some star system, at least we'll have forces to answer it, or else we lose one star-system battlefield. We can't give up three star-system battlefields right now, can we!"
"Don't forget: the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's ace fleet groups, and the quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships we've heard of, still haven't appeared on the battlefield at all." The Black-God Sovereign's voice came coolly now.
"But… but as things stand, faced with these three star systems: we… we can't just do nothing, can we? In those three star systems before, we added two million interstellar warships each. Are we to give up these three more important star systems!" the Troll Monarch could not help retorting.
The Black-God Sovereign frowned slightly; he naturally would not give up these three more important star systems either.
But what mattered most now was working out just what the Owl Dragon commander opposite was plotting.
He had a feeling that this raid by the Owl Dragon commander opposite was anything but ordinary!
Without full confidence, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets could never have taken the risk of attacking their home universe first.
But just what was their trump card?
That quasi-T7 interstellar warship, or those ace fleet groups?
He had to take that into his thinking.
"As things stand, we have nearly thirty million interstellar warships still in hand to move in all, but to keep the star systems of every territory safe, twenty million of those shouldn't be moved. What we can actually move is under ten million interstellar warships. Going on trading move for move with the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire plainly doesn't suit the battle as it stands now. The Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's side has elite fleets that move more easily and quickly. If we go on fighting this way, we simply can't defend everything; there's bound to be a gap or a weakness. And we'll lose the initiative on the whole battlefield."
The Black-God Sovereign went through a great deal, then began to say what he truly thought: "I think next we must turn from passive to active. We must seize a few points and fight a few battles of annihilation. Even draw the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets in ourselves, to fight a decisive battle with us on those battlefields!"
"Then how do we arrange it?" the Troll Monarch asked, still somewhat puzzled.
The Black-God Sovereign tapped six star systems' positions.
These six star systems were the ones the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had marked as Five, Seven, Eight, Thirteen, Twenty-Three and Thirty.
"In these six star-system battlefields, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has committed heavy forces. The first three have at least three hundred thousand interstellar warships each. The last three have about five hundred thousand interstellar warships each. In these six star systems alone, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's side has committed nearly two and a half million interstellar warships. Reckoned that way, nearly half the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's forces on our whole battlefield now are placed on these six star-system battlefields. So long as we can wipe out the Owl Dragon legion fleets on these six star-system battlefields, then even if the other star systems suffer some loss, isn't that something we can accept? After all, we mean to strike back at the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire in future too!"
Hearing the Black-God Sovereign say this, the other two Sovereigns both looked approving.
"Then how exactly do we arrange it?" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign looked at the Black-God Sovereign.
The Black-God Sovereign said in a low voice, "It's time to bring out our trump card."
……
When the campaign reached its eleventh day,
the road turned at the mountain: the Devourer Civilization made a big move.
To each of the six star-system battlefields it sent a million interstellar warships in support, six million interstellar warships moved in all.
And at the same time, for the first time, it brought the Soul Altar, its technological weapon device, into use on these six star-system battlefields.
"Report: by the intelligence we've gathered, the enemy has used six grade-five Soul Altars and forty grade-four Soul Altars in all this time. No grade-six Soul Altar has been found for now." Zhong Xiaoxia reported this news earnestly to Charlotte.
"So they've finally used their trump card. But no grade-six Soul Altar; it seems we haven't driven them to that most crucial moment yet," Charlotte said in a low voice.
"It may also be because we destroyed one of their grade-six Soul Altars before, which hurt them badly. So this time they're being very careful, and won't easily use, or even reveal where they keep, a grade-six Soul Altar." Zhao Chen's voice came through.
Charlotte said nothing, looking at the interstellar war holo-table before her, deep in thought.
Zhao Chen was looking at his own interstellar war holo-table too.
On it the positions of the six key battlefield star systems had already been marked, and how the fighting stood between the two sides there.
"As things stand on the surface now, both sides have made these six star systems the main stage of the campaign. The Devourer Civilization's three Sovereigns are getting ready to swallow our main fleets on these six star-system battlefields in one push. If they pull it off, our losses will be very great. After all, nearly half our interstellar warships have been committed to these six star-system battlefields," Zhao Chen muttered.
He looked carefully at the data on these six star-system battlefields before him.
Battlefield Five: seven Owl Dragon legion fleets, three hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, three million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, eight grade-four Soul Altars.
Battlefield Seven: seven Owl Dragon legion fleets, three hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, three million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, seven grade-four Soul Altars.
Battlefield Eight: seven Owl Dragon legion fleets, three hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, three million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, seven grade-four Soul Altars.
Battlefield Thirteen: eleven Owl Dragon legion fleets, five hundred thousand interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, four and a half million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, six grade-four Soul Altars.
Battlefield Twenty-Three: ten Owl Dragon legion fleets, four hundred seventy thousand interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, four and a half million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, six grade-four Soul Altars.
Battlefield Thirty: twelve Owl Dragon legion fleets, five hundred sixty thousand interstellar warships remaining; the enemy, four and a half million interstellar warships, one grade-five Soul Altar, six grade-four Soul Altars.
Zhao Chen swept his eyes over these figures; it was clear at a glance.
On these interstellar battlefields, the gap between the two sides' interstellar warships was basically about ten to one.
And now, with the Soul Altars' help besides, the gap between the two in elite interstellar warships was greatly narrowed.
If it went on being fought this way, it would be very much against the Owl Dragon legion fleets.
What came next depended on Charlotte's next arrangements.
"The enemy couldn't hold back any longer; this looks like the enemy seeking a chance, but it's really an opening left for us too. The enemy has few interstellar legion fleets left to move. If we squeeze them again now, it'll put the enemy in the position of being roasted over a pot of oil." Charlotte pointed at a few places and said, "We need to make the enemy believe we can't bear to give up the interstellar legion fleets we've committed on these six star-system battlefields, and mean to fight the decisive battle with the enemy here! Pass on my order. Keep sending forces to Battlefields Five, Seven and Eight. Send five more legion fleets to each of these three battlefields."
Five legion fleets to each battlefield made fifteen legion fleets in all: another seven hundred fifty thousand interstellar warships!
That sent out very nearly all of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's regular legion fleets now.
To outsiders, it would surely look as if the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had gone all in.
But Zhao Chen saw that Charlotte's face still had the look of someone not yet done.
Charlotte went on: "Besides that: the interstellar warships of the Reverse Scale ace fleet group, the Blizzard ace fleet group, the Queen of the Starry Sky ace fleet group and the Hell-Angel ace fleet group are all to be split in three, mixed into three ace fleet groups, and sent to fight on these three star-system battlefields!"
Four ace fleet groups!
That was nearly five hundred thousand interstellar warships,
and interstellar warships of the ace fleet groups at that.
Mind you, T6-grade interstellar warships made up a large share of them.
Most important, the several super-flagships were the flagships of these ace fleet groups, and in theory ought to be sent onto the battlefield too.
Sure enough,
Charlotte spoke: "The Gluttony Demon King starship goes to Battlefield Eight, the Demon Emperor carrier starship to Battlefield Seven, and the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought to Battlefield Five!"
Hearing Charlotte's orders, the commanders and staff officers present all looked surprised.
For with such a deployment, even they themselves would think it was a move to fight the enemy to the death.
"What? Is there some problem?" When no one beside her answered, Charlotte looked around.
The staff officers and commanders around her fell silent, their eyes turning in spite of themselves to the Owl Dragon Emperor on the other side of the video window.
They dared not question the Grand Marshal's orders; the only one here entitled to say such a thing was the Owl Dragon Emperor.
Zhao Chen did indeed speak now, but what he said was something no one expected: "My Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship has no task, then?"
Charlotte looked at Zhao Chen and said, "Your Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship goes on standing by where it is; there's no task for it for now."
"I see." Zhao Chen nodded and said nothing else.
Now no one had any objection left either, and they went obediently to pass on these orders.
"So you still can't tell me where your real strategic aim lies?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte curiously.
Charlotte smiled faintly and answered, "If I told you now that in fact even I haven't settled on a target, would you believe me?"
Zhao Chen shrugged and said nothing more.
And this big move of the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets
truly frightened the Devourer Civilization's interstellar legion fleets opposite.
So many Owl Dragon legion fleets suddenly appearing all at once, and elite ones at that,
was wholly beyond what they had expected.
Above all, from the very start, the commanders of the three star-system battlefields struck hard.
The wild bombardment of interstellar missile ships and interstellar heavy-artillery ships, and the interstellar fighters and swarms of interstellar drones the carrier starships put out,
all at once filled these three star-system battlefields.
Almost in an instant, the scales on these three star-system battlefields tipped toward the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets.
The three Sovereigns had placed Soul Altars on these three star-system battlefields,
but these Soul Altars had become the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets' targets of attack too!
Battlefield Seven
"I'm Shen Bing, serving for now as supreme commander here. This is the first time our Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets' various units have fought mixed together on such a large scale and so wide a front. So I don't have much to tell you here; how to fight and how to work together, you all have in your heads. I'll say just one thing. Until you receive new orders, attack freely; you have only one task: destroy the targets given you as fast as you can. Those Soul Altars, and every industrial facility in this star system! Destroy everything you see!" Marshal Shen Bing's voice rang out aboard every Owl Dragon legion fleet starship on Battlefield Seven.
When Marshal Shen Bing had given these orders, she looked at a video window that had been open beside her all along.
On the other side was the supreme commander of the Queen of the Starry Sky ace fleet group, likewise a marshal: Su Lan.
"Su Lan, tell me: just where does our Grand Marshal mean to strike this time? With our elites all out now, opening a new battlefield in a short time is still very hard. But if we're to fight a war of attrition with the Devourer Civilization's interstellar legion fleets opposite here again, that doesn't suit us either. The resources we've brought aren't nearly enough to fight a war of attrition with the enemy on the enemy's ground," Shen Bing said to Su Lan.
Su Lan and Shen Bing had both been students at the North Star Starship Military Academy, so among the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's ranks of marshals the two had a good deal in common to talk about.
Marshal Su Lan thought a moment and said, "I can't guess either. But it's much the same as what we settled before this campaign: attack where the enemy doesn't expect. Don't fight the enemy a war of attrition, but a war of surprise attacks. If even we can't guess where Grand Marshal Charlotte means to strike, still less will the three Sovereigns opposite. In a case like this, striking where they don't expect, when they aren't ready, gets the greatest effect from our attack."
"Then let's not think so much either. Let's just do what we're supposed to do, properly." Shen Bing looked at those Soul Altars standing tall in the very middle of the enemy legion fleets' position in this star system.
"How many Soul Altars do you think we can destroy?"
Su Lan said calmly, "We'll know when we've done it."
"Heh, heh, heh; good. As it happens, there's something I've always wanted to do. With the chance this time, I'm going to enjoy myself to the full." Shen Bing smiled mysteriously.
That roused Su Lan's interest, and she looked at Shen Bing curiously.
Shen Bing said with a laugh, "I've always wanted to feel Baixue's joy: commanding tens of thousands of interstellar missile ships at once in one great volley of ten thousand missiles. My legion fleet group has a good many interstellar missile ships too. But next to hers, it isn't the same league at all. This time, under the Grand Marshal's orders, we've been given twenty thousand interstellar missile ships. Still not the Hell-Angel ace fleet group at its most glorious, but at least it counts as letting me get a taste."
When Shen Bing had explained, she began giving orders to these interstellar missile ships.
"Every corps fleet belonging to the Hell-Angel ace fleet group: this is your supreme commander, Shen Bing, giving my order now. All interstellar missile ships, make ready; aim at the enemy's Soul Altar positions and deliver saturation fire! Now. Fire!"
At Shen Bing's order,
the interstellar missile ships from the Hell-Angel ace fleet group began opening up one after another, missile silo after missile silo opening to show the interstellar missiles brought into this universe.
Then, naturally, came the sight like a meteor shower.
Interstellar missiles by the tens of thousands were all launched toward one direction, one position.
The Devourer Civilization interstellar warships opposite naturally knew what these interstellar missiles had come for.
After all, many of the Devourer Civilization interstellar warships here had been through the first campaign before, and knew very well what the three great axe-strokes of the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets opposite were.
The most terrifying of them, of course, was this interstellar missile attack.
Against saturation strikes of interstellar missiles on this scale, unless you had defense systems dozens of times stronger than the other side's, you could never stop them.
Very soon great numbers of the Devourer Civilization interstellar warships guarding the Soul Altars were struck by these interstellar missiles, exploded, and turned into fireballs one after another.